Telescope shooters (advice please)

Hi Folks,

Just wondering if anyone could give any advice on which telescope to purchase.

I'm a complete novice to Astronomy but have seriously got the bug!

I have been looking at something basic like this - http://www.amazon.co.u​k …&keywords=skywa​tcher+130m
But I kinda get the feeling that this would be fine for bright stars and moon shots, but not great at deeper range.

I'd like to buy the conversion mounts to fit my camera to the scope.

Thanks

Could you give some more info that way we could more less guide you in the right direction .

What's your max $$$ buget you want to spent comfortably ?

What will be your main purpose , viewing , astrophotography or both ?

You want something small compact to carry around or more stable for backyard use ?

Are you only interested in Planets or DSOs' (Deep Sky Objects) like nebulaes and galaxies and star clusters ?

Are you wanting a Go To mount so it tracks the stars ?

Are you only wanting to use this a short time or a long Hobby that can become expensive ?

A word of warning re: SW 130m. It's a great scope and can give great views of many celestial objects.

But.... And it's a big but, you will not be cable to use it for prime focus astrophotography, at least without major modification. You can not get enough I ward travel on the focusser if you have a camera attached. A Barlow lens might help though

Also, the motor drive and mount are not really sturdy enough for steady tracking so long exposures are not really possible; and you need to be able to take long exposures of anything except the moon and the planets.

I have this scope and wish that I had paid the extra for a bigger scope like a SW 200p on a better mount. You need an Eq5 or EQ6 mount at least.

I now restrict my astrophotography to webcam shots of the planets or wide sky shots with a short focal length lens on a fixed tripod or sometimes piggy backed on the scope.

Ps I presume you meant astronomy and not astrology.

Hi guys,
Thanks for the replies.

Would like to photography deeper space objects really as well as using it for general viewing.
I could stretch to around £400 - £500 to start off.

It would be more for the back garden rather than needing to be carried around (although, it would be nice to be able to pack it up and take it to a darker sky spot.

I'm not exactly sure on the mount type, I guess a GOTO mount would be a good easier starter ?

Ideally I'd like this to be a long term hobby, so should I be pushing to get the best equipment I can rather than getting cheaper 'starter sets' ?

*Cheers Damon, corrected the typo lol

Have had a good look at the 200p, looks a beast!

967stuart wrote in post #16222219
Have had a good look at the 200p, looks a beast!

A lot of money can be spent on this pursuit, perhaps if you can find a local astronomy club you could see a variety of scopes and talk with people that have experience. There is much you can learn (for free), and maybe having more information will result in a better experience later. There's a lot you can learn and enjoy in the night sky with a pair of quality binoculars, you can get great shots using just your sturdy tripod and camera. If you care to, read thru THIS thread and see what be done without a telescope. Not trying to discourage you, only give you information to make the best decision. If you are good at making things, then a Barn Door trackercan allow you to track the stars while using your camera with a very modest investment. Good luck and have fun.

basically you could shoot the moon and planets with that scope which will look ok. You need collimation tools for the mirror and you may be happier with a maksutov cassegrain for imaging the moon and planets than that reflector. That setup is an ALT/AZ and it will not be able to track long enough to expose most DSO's, of course you will probably be able to get orion, andromeda, and the pleiades. If you really want to break into astrophotography save up a bit more for an entry grade astrophotography mount such as an orion atlas, celestron avx, cg5, or an ioptron zeq25. A smaller eq mount option would be the ioptron smart eq pro. You would still of course need an autoguider and a telescope. An entry grade 6" imaging newtownian will start at $300, and the orion magnificient mini guide camera and guide scope run $300 as well. The smart eq pro goes for about $500 I believe. You can get a good entry grade setup for about $1,200-$1,800 USD assuming that you already have a camera.

Good luck, I am where you are now a few years back. Here is what I have learned in a few years trying to enjoy Astronomy AND photography:
1) there is a reason there are so many types of telescopes, none do it all and whatever it is you want to do at the moment will be something you need a new scope for!
2) If you are serious about visual OR (and especially) photography you will be unhappy buying a budget scope and wanting to throw it away in less than a year.
3) Pick one type of photography and run with it for a LONG time. Consensus is (and I agree) a high quality, low magnification reflector (used price $300-$500) is the starting point for photography, but unfortunately is exactly opposite of what a new person to the hobby wants for visual (we all want a big scope to count the rocks in the rings of Saturn).
4)If you stick with the hobby you WILL buy multiple scopes for multiple purposes, accept it, deal with it and buy the best you can afford or you will wind up having to buy it again later.
5) For photography, the mount is more important than the scope. I know it hurts to pay big bucks for a lump of metal that holds your beautifully crafted scope, but the sooner you accept this the more money you will save.
6) Seriously consider buying used. Most us astronomers are pretty anal about our gear and keep it in good shape and we love buying new gear (even when we don't need to) so always selling high quality used gear 35-50% off new prices. A quality used $500 scope will crush any $500 new scope you can ever purchase.
7) You will be confused and discouraged trying to get photos like you see online for a LONG time. It is a VERY challenging thing to take photos of anything other than the moon.
8) Spend more on the mount than the scope (yes I know I already said this, but saying it again!)
9) Be ready to buy 500 "widgets" that you never thought you needed...that you need (cameras, cables, guide scopes, filters, software, spacers, connectors, the list never ends)
10) Don't get discouraged, keep at it, its a time sink and a money pit to do it right, but it does get easier, just don't tell the wife how many scopes you really have and hope she never asks.
11) Find a club or someone already involved and learn from them (I failed at this part greatly and regret it to this day!).
12) Have fun and enjoy and share your results with us!

Hey and congrats on getting the bug!

As everyone here, and in all the other 'help buying telescope' threads will say, depends on your budget and what you hope to see and photograph. I've had a few friends interested in astronomy lately, so put together some pics showing the process.

Pics online here: http://sketchdigital.c​om.au/astropics/july20​13/

i've tried to keep a full frame version of each. These were taken with an 80mm refractor on an eq Mount. How it helps.

- Daniel

I own 3 scopes.. by big beast is a 12" newt on a hugely solid mount.

Cost wise astronomy is like buying cameras.. (I've spent about £4k in the past two years and am now looking at mounts at £4k+.. )

(£1.6k camera, £500 filter wheel, £500 filters, £400 guide camera, £300 focusser £200 off axis guider)

Notice none of that list was for a scope or mount!

If you want to just take a peek visually there are lots of Dobsonians about.

If you want to do imaging, then a barn door will get you semi-tracking which will add an order of magnitude to your imaging without costing much at all.

If you get serious about deep sky imaging.. then your No.1 requirement is a good mount, and that is always going to be £1000+. lesser mounts just don't work well enough.. I've seen people try and try, then make the jump and finally realise they've wasted cash on the cheaper mount and all the efforts to 'fix' it. In my honest opinion there are 'wide field' mounts, and there are serious deep sky mounts.. there is not much between.

Best route is to find a local astro club.

It's a great hobby, just take your time buying kit, it's easy to buy the wrong stuff.

Derek

Thanks for the replies folks, really appreciate all the helpful advice there.

I've actually decided to go down the barn-door mount route (which has turned into a real challenge in its self!).

If interested, see here - https://photography-on-the.net …p?p=16280877#po​st16280877

Will be updating it as much as possible with progress with the hope if creating not only a working barn-door for myself, but also to create an 'idiots guide' to making one, with direct links to parts and explanations on assembling the Arduino, driver, motor and power! (something that seems to be lacking in most 'how to guides).
Each guide I've seen online seems to miss out key information (some are fantastically detailed in one area but then assume your an expert and wiring and programming...
Hopefully it will make someone elses life a bit easier.